On her first visit to Boston five years ago, Denise Price set out to continue her tradition of bringing home pop-up books for her nieces and nephews from wherever she traveled. When a search of area gift shops revealed that the Hub didn’t have its own pop-up book, the Denver native decided to do something about that.

“When I first traveled to Boston, I was a typical wide-eyed tourist, very excited to walk the Freedom Trail. Back home, the oldest buildings probably date to the late 1800s. In Boston, though, there are so many historic buildings which date to the Revolutionary War. It didn’t take long before I became fascinated with Boston’s history and the City’s dedication to preserving its landmarks. Toward the end of my trip, I started to look for a Freedom Trail pop-up book to bring home. When I couldn’t find one, I searched for any Boston pop-up book. Much to my disappointment, I found that there were no such books about Boston at all. So after I moved here in late 2009, I began to think about how I could create one,” explained Price by telephone from her office in Cambridge last week.

After her book proposal was rejected by an array of publishers who found production costs on the labor-intensive project prohibitive, Price decided to self-publish “The Freedom Trail Pop-Up Book.” She then enlisted the help of social media maven Mary-Liz Murray of Everett to develop and execute a Kickstarter campaign, running through June 30, to raise the $52,500 needed to finance the production, publication, and distribution of a limited run of 5,000 books.

“With Kickstarter it’s all or nothing. We have an ambitious goal and we have to reach it to succeed. You have to have buy-in from the crowd. If this funds in full by midnight on June 30, then backers’ credit cards will be charged; if not, then no charges will be put through. But Bostonians love their city, so we’re very hopeful,” says Price, who acknowledges that online donations have also come in from the West Coast, the U.K. and Canada. Campaign rewards will include copies of the book, behind-the-scenes tours of select Freedom Trail sites, and limited-edition art work by Price.

If Price succeeds in publishing the first ever pop-up book about Boston – to be sold in bookstores and gift shops along the 2.5 mile Freedom Trail with a portion of the proceeds going to the Freedom Trail Scholars program – it will also be a first for her.

“I have a longstanding, intense love of paper, but I’m not a paper engineer, illustrator, or historian. I was determined, however, so the first thing I did was take apart some existing pop-up books to see how they were made. In time, I found my way to a Wacom tablet. I had to figure out to use it, but once I taught myself how to illustrate digitally then I was ready to go. I live in Porter Square, so I just walk across the Longfellow Bridge and I’m on Beacon Hill or Boston Common and walking the Freedom Trail in no time. What was fun about working on this book digitally was how many times I had to visit each site. I walked the Freedom Trail almost every weekend for four years to make sure I got everything just right. It is important that fans of Boston architecture find this book as accurate as it can be. The Freedom Trail Foundation, which gave permission for the use of its medallion and trademark, provided materials for the text so that’s also accurate. The Foundation staff has been very helpful and encouraging to me throughout this project.”

Page 2 of 2 - Price’s weekly walks resulted in a host of sites being incorporated into the book, including Boston Common with a pop-up of the Frog Pond building; the Massachusetts State House, Park Street Church, and Faneuil Hall, with weathervane call-outs; the Granary Burying Ground, with a headstone pop-up; a U.S.S. Constitution complete with flowing sails; King’s Chapel, the Paul Revere House, and more.

“The book will include 16 architecturally accurate pop-ups as well as profiles of the five historic weathervanes along the Freedom Trail. This means there are 283 glue points that will have to be held together by hand while they set,” explains Price of the detailed production process that will begin upon the successful completion of the Kickstarter campaign. “The minute I know that the book will be financed, I will have six to eight months more work ahead on it – including four more stages of edits and production.”

The first-time author is confident that there are plenty of people who will welcome the chance to learn more about Boston in this imaginative way.

“This will definitely be something more exciting to bring home than just photos taken with a cellphone. This book will be something people of all ages can enjoy.”